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Belt and Road Initiative: the Intertwining of China’s Foreign Policy and Economic Nationalism

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Abstract

Since the Belt and Road Initiative’s (BRI) formulation as a coherent policy in 2013, it has become a pillar of China’s international relations. Arguably the most ambitious economic and infrastructure construction project seen in centuries, Bei**g has sought to sell the BRI as a transformative and mutually beneficial for all involved. Others have argued that the BRI is more likely driven not by altruism but Bei**g’s desire to promote its own economic growth and bind the international economy closer to itself. Whilst the foreign policy, economic impact and rational of the BRI has been widely discussed and debated over the past decade, Bei**g’s efforts to promote the project domestically and mobilise the Chinese population in support has received less attention. To fill this relative gap, the authors draw upon neoclassical realist theory to explore and explain how Bei**g has sought to draw upon Chinese economic nationalism to sell the BRI domestically. In doing so, China has been able to extract the necessary domestic resources required to pursue the international objectives which lie at the heart of the BRI.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China

    Ahmed Bux Jamali

  2. Department of Geopolitics and International Affairs, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India

    Stephen P. Westcott

  3. Diplomacy and Disarmament (DAD) Division, Centre for International Politics, Organisation and Disarmament (CIPOD), School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

    Abhishek Verma

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Jamali, A.B., Westcott, S.P. & Verma, A. Belt and Road Initiative: the Intertwining of China’s Foreign Policy and Economic Nationalism. East Asia 41, 25–40 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12140-023-09415-7

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